Tales of a Sorcerer and Maestro
by Legna the Sorcerer
Summary: Short stories featuring Legkna the Sorcerer and Noctus the Maestro as means to develop their background and information. Contains malexmale, you've been warned. Title in progress.
1. Six Short Stories

**Author's Note: **See my comments here, I don't feel like paraphrasing and stuff right now, sorry. Just remove the spaces. - http: /deathbydarkness. deviantart. com/art/Six-Short-RO-Stories-260738321

Also check my gallery for the Sorcerer's and Maestro's profiles for semi-detailed info and. . . stuff. I tried to match their personalities to here. And yeah.

* * *

><p><strong>Introduction<strong>

It was funny, the first time I saw him, he was dancing like a gypsy; so drunk and so gay. That minstrel was having fun, laughing, smiling, moving every which way with the others that danced with him. I could never dance like that, but it wasn't as if I ever wished to. Dancing was not for me.

Soon enough, he danced his way over to the two of us and stopped. "Haven't seen either of you two around 'ere before. What's your names?"

My friend stood with his mouth slightly opened, a bit stunned at the scene before him. The dancing was hypnotic. . .

"'Scuse me," the minstrel said with a wave of his hand. "Mind telling me your names?"

I nudged my companion in the side with my elbow before he shook his head quickly and gave his name. "My name is Silver. And this is Legkna," he added before I could speak.

"Didn't the mages die in the Geffen fire?" the minstrel asked, but then shook his head. "Never mind; you can call me Noctus. Care to join me in a dance?" The minstrel named Noctus held his hand out to me.

Before I could reject, Silver shoved me forward, a sudden move that knocked us both together to the ground.

"Silver!" I cried out indignantly before pushing myself up to my feet. "I'm sorry about that." I held my hand out to the minstrel to help him up, but he ignored it.

"It's fine," Noctus said as he jumped up. Then he took notice of my hand and grabbed it, seeing it as an invitation to take me to dance. "Okay, let's go!" With that, he dragged me over to where the dancing was.

I tried to cry out but my voice was drowned out by the laughter and the singing and the music.

And that was the very first encounter with the minstrel named Noctus.

* * *

><p><strong>Complicated<strong>

I held the book right-side up and upside down but still I could make no sense of what was written before me.

"Never will I be able to understand the magic that you read," I grumbled to Legkna.

"And never will I be able to understand the music that you bards and minstrels and maestros read," he answered with a chuckle. Then he took the book out of my hands and began to read quietly to himself.

With the book in his possession, I sat down and simply watched as Legkna took some broken chalk and wrote on the wall. He added a stroke here, a number there, making more complicated the drawing before me. All I could make of it were some circles and triangles and strange runic symbols that I'd never seen before.

"Please tell me what you're drawing," I requested.

"Nope."

I may have made a little pout and a small sound of dejection, but he took no notice and continued to write and draw. Maybe it was a spell, as I may have recognized the circles and triangles as part of a spell circle.

"And so if I were to change the element from this to that, and. . ." I could hear him say. There was also an occasional word about ice and water and fire and wind and something about a hepatic. What, in Odin's name, is a hepatic?

However, before I could ponder about a hepatic for long, Legkna threw the book at the wall and promptly wiped away most of his hard work.

I stood up frantically as he yelled, "That stupid son of a Savage misled me! Th-This is an alchemist's book with pages from a mage's spellbook glued in it!"

Carefully, I approached the angered sorcerer from behind as he continued to spout obscenities about the person who gave him the book. Only when he began to calm down did I dared touch him.

As my fingers brushed his back, Legkna leaned forward, his forehead pressing against the wall, and grumbled. While he leaned towards the wall, I leaned towards his back, resting my cheek against the soft fur and feathers of his collar.

"Calm down, dear," I said. "Why don't you just go beat him with your staff instead?" I wrapped my arms around his chest as I said those words to him.

"Maybe," was his response.

We stayed like that for a few minutes as Legkna calmed himself down to a less angered state, his body relaxing a bit as the minutes passed.

"Hey, Noctus?" Legkna's voiced sounded a bit subdued, and I wondered if there was something else the matter.

"Yes, Legkna? Do you want something?" I inquired.

"Want to come with me as I berate the fellow for tricking me?" he asked. Sounded fun.

"Yes," I answered while getting off the sorcerer's warm back.

Legkna stood up straight and stretched a bit as he said, "Great."

As he turned around, I leaned forward to give him a light kiss; and as I pulled back to let him walk past, I saw the grin on Legkna's face as he said, "This shall be fun."

* * *

><p><strong>Rebirth<strong>

The angel in front of me was beautiful, literally not of this world. No, she was a Valkyrie, come from Valhalla. No, she did not come from Valhalla, she is _in_ Valhalla right here, right now, right in front of me. I came to Valhalla some way I could not remember. How did I get here again? My mind was already failing on me after hearing the words she had said to me.

"Congratulations," she said to me. "You are now reborn into a brand new life." I looked up at her. A new life? There was a small tug in me that objected to this. I. . . I didn't want a new life. I want to keep my old one. Why did I come here in the first place? How? But there was no stopping it, it seems. I could feel as if something was disappearing from within me.

The Valkyrie continued to speak to me. "I wish that the release the goddess Urd has granted you proves to be a blessing. I hope that the memories Verdandi has recorded will always honor you. And I pray that the new life to which the goddess Skuld will guide you to will be even more honorable than your last. Farewell."

Without thinking about it, or even realizing it, I had closed my eyes and my consciousness began to fade. I could see various images flash before my mind's eye, some familiar, some not. There were people I recognized and people I didn't.

The only people that I saw that I recognized were Silver and. . . and Miuru. When I saw her, my heart gave a twinge of agony and pain, and I remembered what had happened between us.

Oh gods, why did you not take that memory away from me?

* * *

><p><strong>Colors<strong>

"There are seven colors in the rainbow," Legkna said.

"I know," I told him, gazing up at him as I lay on my back outside. Legkna was leaning over me so I mostly saw him and his pale skin and his messy brown hair and his vibrant green eyes. _Really_ vibrant.

"Why?" I asked.

"The seven colors then have various different tints and shades and such within 'em, so it's truthfully not _just_ seven, but a multitude of colors, don't you think?" He smiled.

"Uh-huh, yeah," I answered, not sure what he was getting at. "Move your head, please." With one hand, I shoved Legkna's head out of my way so I could see the sky. Cloudless and sunny, no chance of rain. No chance of rainbows then.

There was a slight whimpering coming from Legkna, but I knew he was playing. Especially when he crawled over by my side wrapped his arm over my chest, bringing the two of us nice and close.

"Rainbows are so gaudy," Legkna mumbled in my ear.

"Uh-huh," I responded, wondering what he was getting at.

"So vibrant, but honestly no harmony aside from the fact that they go in order in some way, from warm to cool," he continued. "Though they are pretty, I suppose."

"I suppose," I said. "Shame there's not one to look at right now."

As soon as I said that, Legkna sat up. "Oh, really?"

"Yes." I glanced up at him, wondering what he had in mind.

"Wish to make a small bet?" he ventured. "If I make a rainbow app-"

I stopped him before he could continue. "No. I refuse to fall for that again."

Legkna looked a bit dejected that I found him out so quickly, but he soon smiled again. "Ah, well, I can still make a rainbow for you if you wish?" He looked up at the sky, still smiling.

As I got myself up into a sitting position, groaning slightly at having laid down for so long, I could hear the soft lapping of water upon the shore, accompanied by a cool breeze that brought with it a faint scent of some sort of sweet-smelling flower. I looked to the source and saw two of Legkna's four spirits before him.

"Aqua," Legkna said, "please, create a stream of water towards the air for me. And Ventus, please use your wind prowess to disperse the water finely high into the air."

The water and wind spirits both nodded before they set forth using their powers. The water spirit set forth a stream of clear water high into the air while the wind spirit created a strong yet refreshing breeze that tore into the stream of water, scattering it into various thin streams of water, though nothing seemed to happen as a result of this.

"Oh," Legkna said, and looked thoughtful for a bit. "Perhaps. . . Aqua, Ventus, try and. . . and. . . create a thick mist or. . . or. . ."

"Make a rainbow?" I suggested.

"Or that."

With that, Aqua and Ventus changed their approach. Aqua was really all that was needed to create a rainbow due to her immense abilities in controlling water. She created a fine and heavy mist towards the sky so as to have the sun's light pass through the thin water. With all the water she had created, I began to see a numerous amount of rainbows.

"So gaudy," Legkna said as he wrapped his arms around my stomach from behind. "So very, very gaudy."

"They're not as gaudy as you," I teased with a chuckle. "What with all that fur and feathers and flowing sleeves. Just add more color and you may be as gaudy as a Grand Peco."

"And you're one to talk?" Legkna responded. "With three scarves? And that lovely hat?" He proceeded to remove one of my scarves, which I protested to with mock anger. I then proceeded to chase Legkna around in an attempt to get my scarf back. It wasn't terribly hard, as I could outrun him, and I tackled him to the ground, trying to take my scarf back.

"Give it back!" I cried, tugging at my scarf.

"You don't need that many," he replied before letting go.

"You don't need that collar of yours," I said in response as I started putting my scarf back on as I laid on Legkna. As I put the scarf back on, I thought I felt a drop of moisture upon me and looked up.

"It's raining," Legkna said, stating the obvious. When did it get so cloudy?

My hat, where's my hat?

I got off Legkna quickly and started to look for my hat, but it wasn't in sight. Oh, did Ventus blow it away somewhere?

"Looking for this?" Legkna called from behind me.

Turning around, I saw him wearing my hat and he stuck his tongue out at me, teasing me.

"Hey!" I started to chase him again, though I didn't try to overtake him or anything. In fact, I didn't get my hat back until we were under some shelter.

* * *

><p><strong>Eternity<strong>

"How long does an eternity last?" I asked Noctus.

"Um, forever," he answered.

"But how long does forever last?" I persisted, knowing I would eventually annoy the maestro with my questions.

"A long time," he answered. I could hear the annoyance that was creeping into his voice.

"And how-" I started before Noctus interrupted me.

"Pray tell, why are you asking?" Noctus turned over onto his side to face me, his face partially hidden by the pillow his head lay upon.

I pulled the covers up to my chin before answering. "Don't you ever like to question things?"

Noctus grabbed the part of the covers I held. "But you asked me that about five times this week already, and the week isn't even half over yet!"

"True," I answered, and turned my gaze to the off-white ceiling. It was smooth and had traces of a marbled pattern to it.

"An eternity," I said softly. "That is how long I wish to live sometimes, but. . ."

His warm body pressed against mine, his arm wrapping around my chest as he pulled close to me.

"But what?" Noctus whispered in my ear.

Struggling in his grasp slightly, I managed to turn to face Noctus before I gave him my answer. "But I would rather spend a short life with you."

I liked seeing Noctus smile. That was better than living an eternity, at least for one such as myself.

* * *

><p><strong>Death<strong>

The waves of energy are so visible in front of my eyes. I can feel the energy pulse across my bare skin, making me shudder. How powerful is this spell? I give a prayer, quick and silent, to Odin or any deity that it will wipe out the heinous monster that will threaten the land.

Everywhere around us the large rocks and the sharp stones continued to fall all around us; I can hardly keep them off Legkna as the spell continued to form.

In front of Legkna is the spell circle he drew with pure energy, so pure that it glows with a harsh white light. The circle continues to move slowly, almost with purpose as the spell continues, and it is either the spell itself or just the ominous situation but the wind is blowing fiercely. I just lost my hat to the winds, but I feel that it would matter not whether I went for it or not. There is the feeling inside of me that this will be my last battle, regardless of whether or not this spell destroys the monster.

Almost as if he is controlled, Legkna moves his hand to the spell circle, to the middle of it, as the waves of energy become white and lash out everywhere. I can hear him speak now, almost to the energy itself.

"Oh spirits of the wind and the water, the fire and earth, take from me my life and my soul to grant me the power to destroy this beast," he says. My heart jumps slightly at his words, but with our current situation, maybe it will not matter. Legkna continues on with his speech or spell, adding, "Take my entire being if you wish, as I now cast this one final spell with all my might."

Despite the grim situation, I almost want to laugh at the words. They sound so odd, so cliché almost. Maybe he is speaking to his own spirits.

The wind grows harsher as Legkna plunges his hand into the spell circle. It looks almost as if he is pushing the circle forward. But then he throws his hand back as if he had a spear. What he does next, I cannot tell, for the white energy becomes too much to look at, they are so blinding now.

Even with eyes shut tight, I can see the whiteness go past and a scream of pure rage and agony. Did he do it?

The white subsides but the wind does not. I hear a soft thump and open my eyes to look. All I can see now in front of me is the side of my dear love, the one whom I have spent so much of my life with. His hair obscures his face as the wind now shifts oddly, as if to hide what I do not wish to see.

Even without touching him, even without making a single attempt to find a sign of life within him, I know he is dead. His soul has left him, I can feel the loss.

Dropping down on my knees next to him, I pull his body close to mine and dare not gaze into his blank and soulless eyes. There is nothing in them anymore.

Around us the rocks continue dropping, bigger and closer. The end is near for me; I will be crushed to death.

I glance up desperately at the creature, the hideous brown wretch that has caused innumerable deaths so far in just this town alone. My heart sinks to see that the wound the spell inflicted upon the beast is nothing more than a scratch at best. It may have caused the beast some internal injury, but that is impossible for me to tell.

The falling rocks shake me to the core, as one lands directly in front of my face, nearly taking my nose off.

I'm going to die.

I'm going to die.

I'm going to. . .


	2. Wedding Day

**Author's Note**: Go here for an author's note, just remove the spaces. http: /fav. me/d4cd7im

* * *

><p>Legkna looked nervously at his own reflection in the mirror. Though he didn't appear nervous, as he was capable of appearing calm, inside he was nervous. If this whole deal was found out, it wouldn't bode well for him and Noctus. The two would probably have to go into hiding, or run to a far-off land, maybe Ayothaya or Amatsu.<p>

And if it worked?

The two would definitely be happy, happier than any other person alive, perhaps.

Legkna closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths.

"Nervous?" his female companion, a Wanderer, asked.

"No, not at all, Freya," Legkna answered. "Well, maybe."

He opened his eyes again and looked at his reflection once again, seeing his disguised self in the mirror.; short brown hair made wavy and styled, fair and pale skin with soft and rosy cheeks, longer and thicker lashes, pale red lips, all the result of a few hours of work with makeup.

The white silk dress he wore was slightly uncomfortable, but Legkna was used to it, though he'd never get used to the corset he had to wore. It was tight and made it slightly hard to breathe, but at least it helped with appearances. Then there were the heels he had to wear, white as the dress and, without the practice he endured, hard to walk in.

Legkna kept his hands, covered up past the elbows with white gloves, in his lap as he continued to stare at his reflection in the mirror.

"Afraid people will find out?" Freya asked.

"Yes, of course," was Legkna's answer. "What if it doesn't fool them?"

Freya giggled a bit. "You make a convincing female to me. After all, not every female has quite the chest."

"That's not all I'm worried about," Legkna said softly. "I'm just. . . I'm just afraid I'll slip up and ruin everything, maybe get us killed." He paused for a second. "How do you run in a dress?"

"Hike it up as high as you can, kick off those heels, and make a break for it!" Freya answered as she glanced out the window. "C'mon, it's time to go. Just stay calm and relaxed, and assume the best shall happen, m'kay?"

"Mhm." Legkna stood up careful, testing his balance in the heels, before he headed to the door. He stopped before opening it and glanced behind him at the wanderer.

Freya just smiled at him and whispered, "Once more, congratulations."

Legkna returned his smile and in a soft, light voice he practiced to sound right, said, "Thank you, Freya."

Then the two left the room to head to Prontera's church.

–

"I never liked suits," Noctus said to the high priest Silver as the two waited.

"But you look quite nice in a suit," the high priest responded. "Not so bulky, eh?"

"It just feels so. . . restricting." As if to demonstrate, Noctus tugged on his collar, then pulled at his sleeves.

"Quit fidgeting," Silver scolded. "You don't wanna rip it, do you?"

"Suits aren't _that_ fragile," Noctus grumbled.

Silver smacked Noctus' arm slightly. "Yes they are! Now, what's keeping hi-er."

Noctus started slightly, though quickly remembered that Legkna would be the bride.

Everything was still so odd to the maestro. It all started with the ball, where Legkna had first worn a dress so the two could dance together, and some time after that, the sorcerer came up with this plan so the two would become legally married. The whole thing became so real to Noctus after Legkna's proposal, and people had begun to get ready for the small wedding.

Noctus' thoughts started to get jumbled up, various questions popping into his head. Would this really work? What if no one believed it? What would happen if the plan failed? Then what?

Music started to play from a couple minstrels and a bard, signifying the arrival of the bride, prompting Noctus, and everyone else, to look towards the back, and there "she" was, the bride.

"Her" face was covered in a veil that was carefully placed as to conceal the face, which "she" kept down, looking almost shy. The bridal gown "she" wore was a lovely white color and was long, though not long enough as to cause tripping, and also covered most of her body. In "her" hands was a wedding bouquet filled with white flowers, maybe white roses.

Soon, Legkna stood upon the altar, next to Noctus. He had to admit, Legkna didn't look that bad in a wedding dress.

The two stood facing each other as the priest began the ceremonial procession. He gave an opening prayer before moving on to talk about the solemn vow the sorcerer and maestro were about to make before asking for the two to exchange vows, which they did wholeheartedly. Then the two exchanged rings, both still nervous about being found out, but so far, no one was the wiser.

Then finally, just as quickly as the marriage had began, it ended.

"By the power invested in me by the gods and the kingdom of Rune-Midgarts," the priest said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Legkna held the bouquet to his face for a second in mock shyness, and in pure happiness before he threw it away so as to allow Noctus to kiss him. Those that attended the wedding were now clapping for the two, unaware of what the two had done. Only two others knew the truth; Silver and Queen Sabby. They simply said nothing, but only smiled and clapped for the couple.

Soon, the married couple broke off the kiss, only for Noctus to sweep up his bride in typical bridal style. As Legkna hugged Noctus closely around the neck, Noctus carried his spouse out of the church as others followed from behind with various cries of congratulations. The crowd dispersed as they made their way to the city's castle, near the church.

The newlywed couple was obvious quite happy; their fears of being discovered were gone for the moment, the euphoria of being married was too great.

It took Noctus a little while to climb up the stairs of the castle to either Legkna's or his own room and it took a little while to open the door. Once he was in the room, and having kicked the door shut, Noctus deposited his spouse on the bed.

"Mm, Noctus?" was the first thing Legkna said after the wedding.

"Yes, Legkna?" Noctus responded as he slid the wedding dress up to reveal his spouse's legs.

Legkna groaned very slightly, knowing what was to come, before he said softly, "I love you Noctus, so much."

"I love you too, love," Noctus responded, just as softly before leaning over and kissed Legkna, his hand sliding under the wedding dress.

And the two spent the remainder of the day in the room, up until the very next morning.


	3. Meeting Silver

**Author's Note**: I'm sad this story turned out a bit shorter than I wanted. I was hoping for 2k words about, really. Well, I may write another story to make up for that. Anyway, expect me to write these short stories about once a week (unless it's not even close to 2k words, then expect another one). Though this "chapter" doesn't include Noctus, I'll write a similar story that features mostly him and his meeting, or something in his life.

* * *

><p>I can recall the first time I met the Arch Bishop Silver. Actually, I do not recall the moment perfectly, as my earliest recollection of Silver was that I had already befriended him and the two of us were friends. However, I have tried my best to remember, if only for the sake of remembrance.<p>

Perhaps it was just after another failed attempt to train by my lonesome, for I was a lone mage with no one to help me. Back then, I was hardly the spell-caster I am today. Instead, I was nearly a hapless young mage, very young and very alone.

Yes, it still pains me to think about being alone as my very earliest memory I can recall was of abandonment, and it is why I fear abandonment by those I love.

But regarding my meeting with Silver, it was in Prontera I believe. I was wounded after attempting to slay a wolf with a cold bolt spell. Back then, I had not realized that wolves were better taken down with a fire bolt, so it was a frightening experience for me when I was chased by multiple wolves who wished revenge upon me for attempting to kill one of their pack. Luckily, I managed to escape with my life, but they had gotten to me enough. A second stroke of luck was the fact that wolves have a tendency to not leave the forest area they live in. If they were to give chase outside of their forest, I would have been dead at a young age, not even ten years.

It took me some time to make it back to Prontera with the wounds I had suffered, but I managed it. With the remaining energy I had left, I decided to trudge my way over to Prontera's center where the fountain was located. With four benches facing a cardinal point away from the fountain, I managed to lay down on the south-facing bench and immediately fall asleep to restore my energy.

When I woke up from my nap, I happened to notice a young acolyte sitting on the same bench I lay upon. My body was not terribly long or tall yet, so I had not taken up too much of the bench when laying upon it, so there was still plenty of room on the bench for even a full-grown adult to sit upon.

Curious and suspicious, I gave a small, "Hello." The acolyte greeted me with a warm smile and a "Hello to you," in return.

Unfortunately, I cannot recall the exchange the two of us had to the exact detail, it has been so long. As I mentioned above, I was not even ten years of age yet and it has been at least more than twenty years since I had that conversation with Silver, now an arch bishop, and I a sorcerer. Even Silver himself cannot recall the meeting very well.

What I can remember is that we had exchanged names, talked for a short while about some thing I cannot recall and the next thing I knew we had decided to travel together. I believe that Silver had mentioned being nearly unable to train as he could not bear to attack monsters. Instead, he would rather help out other people with the power that was bestowed upon him by the gods. Which gods, I am not certain but if it helps, Silver mentioned being a follower of Odin's, so perhaps it was Odin who blessed Silver with holy magic.

With that over, the two of us were never separated again. The two of us remained good friends, but it seems odd that Silver never turned out to be my best friend. Instead, someone else was to become my best friend, someone whom I would not meet until a few years later within my teen years. Although, no one can replace the role that Silver has taken as my very first friend.


	4. The Maestro's Past

Those that know me know about my love for music and my talent in singing, dancing and playing musical instruments. Those that know me also know about my skill and accuracy with the bow and arrow and know that my aim is hardly ever off, if ever. Originally I had never planned to become a maestro, a master of music. My original aims were to become a ranger as I loved archery.

Both my parents were archers, my mother a hunter and my father a ranger and we lived in Payon where the archers commonly resided. I was diligent in my training; perfecting my aim, adjusting with the weather, testing the strength of the bow so I knew how far I must pull the bowstring so the arrow goes as far as I need it to go. My parents were proud of me and so they had such high hopes for me. Even I was proud of myself.

Then one day a group of traveling bards and dancers passed by. They simply liked to travel around and play their songs and dances for people to watch and enjoy. I was one of those entranced by the music and the movements and the swaying and the sounds. They let anyone watch, no matter how old or how young, but they never played or danced anything too provocative in respect to the young ones and their parents.

The traveling group stayed for two weeks, so I went to watch them every single day as often as I could. My parents saw no harm in it, for none of us had known that to become a bard or a dancer, one must be a dancer. For back then, it was a bit of a mystery as to how to become a musical sensation. And I wanted to become one.

It must have been the eloquence of the songs the bards sang, or the entrancing music they played, but after I heard the group and watched them sing and dance and play, I had decided on just a whim that I wished to become a bard. But I had no idea how to become a music player, so though I wanted to become one, I started to forget about that wish. My parents had no clue about my wish and allowed me to continue watching the group.

Imagine my joy when I, by chance, got to talk to one of the bards as he rested away from the group. My first question for him was obvious; "How does one become a music player?" I was still young then, maybe about ten.

The bard seemed amused at my question.

"A bard?" he replied with a smile. "One simply needs to be an archer first and foremost before they can even be considered to become a bard or a dancer. But only the lovely females may become dancers while the males become the bards. When one has trained well enough, find the roaming bard in Comodo and he shall guide your way to becoming a bard."

The bard's answer drove me completely away from the path of a ranger. It set me away from my parents for good.

When I was still only ten and trained as much as I could at home, my parents allowed me to travel the world so I may learn even more.

So I traveled the entity of kingdom, Rune-Midgard, and when I felt I could learn no more as an archer, I traveled to Comodo. There, I was put through more training until I was fit to become a bard. It was there I found out how much I loved to play music. It was such a wondrous feeling to be able to create such lovely music that only the talented could create. I almost equated it with the magic that mages used.

But while I was gone and traveling, a travesty befell Payon. Apparently someone had angered the fearsome tiger Eddga, I know not how, and so it arrived at Payon to wreak havoc upon the town. Many fought it in order to get it to turn back but it was a fearsome creature when enraged. Many lost their lives, including my father.

My father's death changed my mother, leaving her a shell of her former self. All she had was my father and I as her immediate family was no longer with us. Now all she had left was me, but even I would leave her.

After learning a few songs, I came back to Payon to show my parents. I had been gone for three years so now I was a young thirteen. But perhaps it would have been better if I never came back, leaving my mother to believe that I had become a hunter instead of showing her myself as a bard with "garish, outrageous rags befitting only a lowly, weak, pathetic archer," to put it lightly.

She denounced me as her child, her only child, despite the pain it obviously inflicted upon her to get rid of her last remaining family.

I was devastated as well at having lost not only my father, but my mother. What else did I have left, aside from my music?

So I went back to Comodo with its lovely dancers and bards, though I cannot find the dancers lovely any longer, nor can I find Comodo all that pleasing. In fact, it may have been due to my losses that I was entrapped by Comodo's charms, with the dancing and the partying and the merrymaking that went on day after day after day.

There was something deadly about Comodo, honestly. Those that are not prepared for it will never leave its trap.

Comodo is like Valhalla for bards and dancers. It is there were bards do nothing but sing and eat and drink and sleep and play with the dancers. Dancers do as the bards do, except in their own feminine versions. All this is deadly as it got rid of one's will to improve oneself. I fell victim to it for about two years before I grew bored of flitting about between the dancers.

My life in Comodo was this; dance with the dancers, flirt with the dancers, drink with the dancers, kiss the dancers, et cetera, et cetera. It was not as if only I did this; many other bards partook in very similar activities as well. No one really stays with another for long. The longest I ever stayed with a dancer was a week, and even then I broke that off eventually.

As I said, after two years I grew bored of it all, and I am thankful for it as it allowed me to begin learning more and training more to become even better at music than I was now. I found someone willing to help me learn and train to eventually become something more than a bard; a minstrel.

Ah, as I mentioned, Comodo charms the bards and dancers. Comodo charmed me again and again so I would end up going back on occasion, but I always went back to training. And then I learned all I could as a minstrel.

I stayed in Comodo, never leaving, for a total of four years. For four long years, I remained in Comodo until by chance, or maybe by fate, a traveling scholar and high priest arrived Comodo. For some reason, I could not recall any other visitors to Comodo, or maybe there were none. Regardless, I took an interest in the duo.

And that was the fateful day where I met Legna and Silver. Oh, the fun we had together. And, of course, then fun Legna and I had together. . .

I remember on that day I was dancing with a gypsy when I noticed the two. They seemed to be entranced by the dancing that was going on.

I went over to introduce myself before I invited the scholar, Legna, to dance with me. Not too bad at dancing, I must say, but he would need lessons, if he wished.

The rest is history.


	5. To Run and Sleep and More

**Author's Note**: A bit of additional insight into the history of Silver, Noctus and Legna, along with some random moments in their lives.

* * *

><p><strong>Running Away<strong>

It was the first time we had seen the world again after twelve whole years. And the first thing we had to do was run. Run away, escape from those simply called the "Rebels".

We had to run for we were discovered. We had to run for we did not have the same goal as they. We had to run or we would be killed.

I turned around to see if we were being chased yet. The ranger that Noctus shot was still lying there, the warg lying nearby. Two lumps silhouetted by the light of the moon, the blood nothing more than a sickly purple. But we had no choice. We had a job to do; twelve years of preparation, and we could not fail.

"Legna, keep up!" one of my friends called. I noticed then that my pace was lacking, too absorbed I was with the dead body we left behind.

I quickened my pace, not from the command, but because I could hear them. The Rebels found the dead body, a dead comrade. I could hear them yelling and shouting.

Must run. We must get to Prontera before they catch us, before it ends after all our preparations.

**Twilight**

The sky was turning a lovely purple, mixed with yellows and reds and oranges. It was still fairly warm so hopefully even when the night was fully upon us, the warmth would remain with us. If not, we had Legna to keep us warm.

Speaking of Legna. . .

"Do you have the fireworks?" I asked as I turned to face the sorcerer.

"Um, huh." I noticed the sorcerer was bent down, his back away to me, doing. . . something.

"What are you doing? The sun's almost completely set y'know," I told him.

"I know, I know!" Legna stood up and turned to face me, holding a few firecrackers. "W-Wait, did you say 'fireworks'?"

"This certainly isn't the first time you mixed the two up, Legna dear," Noctus said with a small sigh. "But I think if you were to actually be handling fireworks, they would simply blow up in your face."

"I resent that remark." Legna smirked then as he aimed the firecracker at Noctus. "How 'bout I singe you, Noctus, eh?"

At the threat, Noctus ducked, and just in time, too! Unfortunately, Legna turned the firecracker my way and pulled the end of it. In response, I immediately ducked as well, covering my head.

"Why me?" I cried.

There was a loud crack and the smell of something burnt.

Looking up, the first thing I noticed was Legna, partially covered in soot. He coughed a bit as he tried to dust the soot off him.

"S-Stupid firecracker," he managed to choke out. Imagine if that was a firework that he set off!

Noctus was laughing at seeing Legna's plan having backfired.

"See, what did I tell you?" Noctus managed to say.

I fumbled around my pockets as Noctus laughed and Legna coughed before I found what I was looking for.

The goblet I held out to Legna shone softly as the sun finally set. "Need some water?"

Legna smiled as he took the goblet from me.

"I hope you have more water than this, Silver."

**At Peace**

The birds were singing, the sky was clear, the day was warm, the book I held was a very good read and I had something nice to rest my head upon. So peaceful.

I closed my eyes so I could listen better to the birds that sung.

Soon a soft melody joined the singing of the birds, a melody so wondrous, I wished it would never end. I felt as if I could listen to it forever, to even stand up and sway to the song, even if I could not dance. The melody, the song, oh wondrously smooth and soft. It was hard to describe it, but if it were physical, perhaps it would feel like the finest of silk.

Then suddenly, the song itself ended and I felt a hand grab at my face.

"Noctus!" I cried out, suddenly free of the spell. "Release your hand from my face!"

I could hear Noctus chuckle as he pulled at my hair gently.

"You were humming, I believe," Noctus said as he ran his hand through my hair.

"I do not recall humming," I replied, opening an eye. I could see Noctus was looking down upon me.

"Maybe, but do you like the song?" he asked. "It is still in work, but it seems that it is going well so far, mm?"

I only nodded in response. The movement caused Noctus to shift his legs around a bit.

"Don't move too much, Legna," Noctus warned. I decided to get up quickly before the nice spot I rested my head upon changed into something not quite so comfortable.

My getting up caused Noctus to chuckle again. "I was joking, Legna."

"When it comes to things such as that," I said, "you don't really joke. Besides, the grass is softer." To make my point, I laid myself down upon the grass next to Noctus.

"Not as soft as you." Noctus laid his head upon my stomach and pretended to nap, making loud noises.

"If you wish to sleep, then please refrain from snoring!" I whacked him softly with my book.

"Yeah, yeah," Noctus grumbled, swatting away my book.

In only a few moments, Noctus was actually asleep, snoring softly, leaving me at peace. But I started feeling lonely again, so I hoped he would wake up soon and head down to Prontera with me to eat lunch soon.

**Forgotten**

The papers were old and yellowed, and seemed as if they would crumble at the slightest touch, so I took great pains to be careful with the papers.

They looked familiar. . .

As I placed the papers on my desk, I took notice of the handwriting and recognized the special flourish of the pen strokes.

It was all too familiar. . .

I decided to read one of the papers I pulled out, which I know knew was a written letter to me. From Miuru.

"_Dear Legna,_

_I am writing to simply tell you how much I miss you! Is everything going all right in Juno? Is the test too hard? No, of course not, that would be ridiculous. I know that you will pass it very quickly. But I still worry about what my parents would think of that. Don't you worry, Legna? I mean, I believe that my parents favor wizards more than sages. I don't know why, however. Regardless, I hope to see you soon, Legna!_

_With love,_

_Miuru_

_PS. I have included a little gift for you. I hope you like it!_"

Miuru had sent me this while I was studying in Juno to become a sage.

Back then, neither of us knew that Miuru's parents were obsessed with a "pure" bloodline of wizards and warlocks. They felt anything else was inferior and would diminish the magical power of the family. Yes, they were a family of powerful wizards, but they were not as powerful as many other families. In fact, Miuru's family line was not exactly influential, but they were well-known.

But I felt that magic prowess was not rooted in the blood, but in one's own ability to practice and strengthen their own magical powers. It is as Noctus puts it about the physical body; "Without daily usage then your body will eventually become soft and squishy." He had directed at me as I was more keen on studying magic than actually training my body, but what he said is true about nearly anything that requires active practice.

Anyway, what had Miuru sent me? I could not remember. Then again, I could not remember this letter Miuru had sent me until I found the letter just now.

Maybe it was something edible or something to be used up. Perhaps it was something that did not keep well with age. Or perhaps I had simply lost it.

Or perhaps it was in the box. . .

I rummaged through the box carefully, pulling out papers with care to set them upon my table.

Eventually I found an old, worn-out photo. The color on it was slightly yellowed with age, just like the papers. The subjects were two young children, perhaps in their early teens. There was a male and a female, both smiling and dressed in beginner mage outfits though it was obvious they were not beginners due to the glowing energy in their hands.

The young male had short, shaggy brown hair, wide and vivid green eyes and was a little shorter in height than the female. The young female herself had waist-length golden hair that partially covered her dark brown eyes.

I could not remember when this photo was taken.

How long was this? Currently I am about thirty years, so maybe almost twenty years ago. Maybe less.

Thinking about all caused my heart to twinge. The feeling of sadness started to flood me again as I began to recall those tender moments I had spent with Miuru.

We had been together for awhile before we left each other, and when we finally got together again, it was only for one day before she left me forever.

"Miuru, Miuru." I repeated her name softly to myself.

Maybe I was louder than I thought for I heard the sound of a door. When I turned over to look at the door, all I saw was the trailing end of a blue scarf.

Immediately realizing who it was, I placed the photo on my desk before heading out of my room, making sure to lock the door as I left.

I saw the familiar red jacket of a certain maestro as he was about to turn a corner.

"Noctus?" I called out hesitantly.

Upon hearing his name, he turned in my direction. I could see the pain and sadness in his eyes as he looked at me, and I knew what he was thinking. It tormented me as well.

"I do not wish to bother you, Legna," Noctus said with a smile. It was hard to tell if it was a forced smile or not as his smile looked so soft and gentle. "I need to head down to Prontera, perhaps I will see you later." With that, he turned the corner, out of my view.

Noctus knew too well how I still harbored feelings for Miuru and it was hard for me to abandon them. To me, it would be like abandoning Miuru herself. But, I wish I could abandon those feelings if it meant that Noctus would have no doubt about my feelings for him.


	6. Picking up the Pieces

**Author's Note**: Not sure on whether this story's really fitting or not to the title, but meh, I just choose the title and write. . . But, ah, here's a major event in the timeline of the story and stuff I wrote and stuff, erm. . . Yeah. This is about how I had it planned in my head. Whether or not I wrote it out well is. . . er. . . Idk.

I should write a very general timeline or something.

* * *

><p><strong>Picking up the Pieces<strong>

Oh Geffen, city of magic, home of the mage guild, the wizard guild. How could this have happened?

This city of great magic located in Rune-Midgarts was burnt to the ground and no one knew how it happened. I had a nagging feeling it was the infamous Rebels, who are now split up. Even if we knew who burnt the city to the ground, leaving nothing but decaying ruins and burnt rubble, it would not change the fact that the city was gone now.

"This is so terrible," Queen Sabby said. She had never seen the city before, but I suppose she had a feeling of attachment to it as this would be where she would start out if she had a normal life.

"'Terrible' doesn't even begin to describe it," Silver responded. "Terrible" was only the beginning.

"Do you know what happened, Queen Sabby?" I asked, realizing not one of us had told her.

To confirm what I thought, she shook her head.

"Please tell me, Uncle Legna," she asked. Noctus, Silver and I were called "Uncle" by Sabby because the three of us raised her together, along with Miuru's maids somewhat, and she knew that none of the three of us was her father. Instead, she called us the closest term of endearment that she knew, which was essentially "Uncle".

"As you know, the town of Geffen is home to most of the magic guilds in the entire kingdom and those that surround it," I began. "The only magic guild not located in Geffen is the sage guild, located in Juno.

"A little history before I begin. Two years before what is known as the 'Great Geffen Fire', there was a period of troubled relations throughout Rune-Midgarts and the kingdom's neighboring countries, Arunafeltz and Schwartzvald. It was because of this that travel was just about forbidden between any of the three countries. It was also during this time that Juno had forbidden anyone to leave or enter the floating city. One of the sages had a prophecy that if any person were to leave or enter Juno, a great disaster would befall the entire city and its inhabitants so the higher-ups forbade anyone to leave or enter.

"However, it was during this time that I had received a letter, along with the other sages and scholars who lived in Juno at the time. It was a meeting request from the wizard guild. The meeting was to hopefully help improve relations between Rune-Midgarts and Schwartzvald. The meeting was only supposed to be known amongst the magic users. Unfortunately, word of this meeting was discovered and someone decided to take the opportunity to set fire to the town, killing all the mages that were in the meeting at the time.

"Now, you may be wondering, 'Why did they not put out the fire?' It is because the fire itself was of an extremely powerful magic spell. It had also taken the mages by surprise and there was no time to react. The fire was quick and deadly and consumed the entire town within minutes." I took a moment to pause and looked around. Sometimes, I felt as if I could actually see the fire itself, despite having never witnessed it; I only heard about it days after the fire had consumed the town.

"The only mages that were still left alive were the ones in Juno," I continued, " and during that time, the previous corrupted king had forbidden the rebuilding of Geffen. It was even forbidden to approach the remains for fear of what, I do not know. The lingering magic that could possibly consume those that got close in flames? But regardless, this is all that remains of the once-great Geffen. And we are standing near the spot where the Geffen Tower stood."

All that remained was a heap of burnt debris, covering the entire ground.

"Wasn't the entrance to Geffen's dungeon located in the Geffen Tower?" Silver asked.

"I believe it was," Noctus answered. "Been there myself; pretty gloomy down there." Noctus moved some of the debris away with his foot.

I walked around some of the debris a bit, trying to remember where, exactly, the entrance to Geffen's dungeon was. "You had to go into the basement of the Tower, I believe."

Then I realized something odd; I could not approach an area of the Tower.

"Mm, what exactly is this?" I said, mostly to myself. It felt as if there was some magic over a certain spot that prevented people from approaching it.

"I feel it too," Silver said, approaching.

"Mages," Noctus said as he stood behind me.

"What's wrong with mages?" Queen Sabby asked.

"N-Nothing. Erm, why exactly is there some magic over here?" Noctus asked. "Magic left over from the fire?"

I tried to move my hand over the spot, but was stopped by the magic. "Without someone to control the magic, it will eventually go wild or disperse, especially as the fire's magic was not designed to continue burning. That magic was designed to resemble a real fire."

Well, if there was magic covering this area, right where the entrance to the Geffen dungeon should be, then perhaps I should remove it.

Closing my eyes to concentrate, I placed my palm on the barrier of magic to get a feel of it, not only for its location, so I could determine what type of magic it was and if I could interrupt it.

It took me a few minutes to fully determine the magic, but it took me even longer to find the source and when it did, it surprised me a bit.

"The magic's coming from the Geffen dungeon," I murmured as I started entwining my own magic with this magic. I let my own magic make its way down to the source as I began to disrupt the barrier's own magic. I did this slowly and without notice, undoing the magic little by little and by the time the one who had put up this barrier realized what I was doing, I fully disrupted the magic barrier, causing it to disappear.

"There we go," I said. "But, it seems odd. There is nothing in the Geffen dungeon that can use such magic."

"Maybe we should see what exactly is down there," Noctus suggested as he pulled some debris away to reveal a set of stairs.

"Let's go," Silver said as he went down first. I followed behind Silver as Noctus and Sabby followed us.

The hallway was dark, moldy and damp, yet it seemed to be in a decent condition. Very odd for a place that was abandoned, unless. . . Unless this place was not abandoned after all.

Soon, the door that led to the Geffen dungeon came into view. However, something was odd about it.

"I can feel a various amount of different magical energies," I noted. "Mages, wizards, sages, even sorcerers and warlocks."

"Are there. . ." Noctus hesitated. "Are there people down here?"

As if on cue, there was a loud click, as if a lock was being opened and then slowly, the door was being opened. The door opened slowly and hesitantly and a head peeked out, such a pitiful-looking head.

I could not tell who it was, but all I knew was that from what I could see, their hair was dull and looked clumped together and their face was thin, the skin clinging to their face and the eyes a bit sunken into their head.

"A s-sorcerer?" the head spoke, the voice small and thin. Then the door opened more to reveal a thin, malnourished young boy in ragged clothes of a beginner mage.

And behind him? Behind him from what I could see was a multitude of people, all of them thin like the young boy, and there was an assortment of mages from the beginners to the advanced; mages, sages, wizards, high wizards, scholars, sorcerers and warlocks. Were they. . . Were they the mages who had went to the meeting?

"Legna?" Someone from behind me poked me in the back. I stepped back a bit, suddenly wary.

"Are you a sorcerer from Juno?" a female asked in a small voice.

"Yes, I am," I answered, "and are you the mages that supposedly perished in the fire?"

"Yes, we are," was my answer. "We've been living in here ever since, in case the one who burned Geffen down decided to come back. We've been hiding here so that way, they could not find us."

"H-How?" Queen Sabby said. "How have you been here the whole time?"

"Who is she?" was the response.

So we had to explain what had transpired on the surface: The old king had died and was replaced with a new ruler, Queen Sabby. The kingdom was working to repair all the damage down to it and it was taking some work. There were plans to rebuild Geffen and scouts were sent to check the area and begin repairs, and the scouts, us, had found all this.

I knew it would be hard for these people, who had lived down here for even longer than Noctus, Silver, Sabby and I had in the underground shelter, to believe us, so to prove that we were not lying to them, two warlocks and a sage came with us back up to the surface.

We all headed back to Prontera, which took half a day and by the time we were back, night had fallen. We went back to the castle to rest and the warlocks and sage were given food, baths and new clothes and a night at the castle, hopefully to prove to the others still in the Geffen dungeon that what we said was true.

Meanwhile, the warlocks – as the sage was now sleeping – explained to us how they had all lived.

It turned out that news of the meeting getting out was known so in case the worse were to happen, the Geffen dungeon's first floor was somewhat made ready to house everyone in case of such an accident. It was lucky that the meeting started very late so everyone was only on the second floor when news of the fire broke out. Everyone rushed down to the Geffen dungeon and erected the barrier in hopes of keeping the fire from advancing any further.

It was a risk to put the barrier up as whoever started the fire had a large chance of finding the barrier. It was luck that they were never found out as the one who started the fire had only borrowed the magic from a mage, for the mages in Geffen were never found. However, in order to keep themselves safe, they lived in the dungeon until now, living off the food they had and the monsters in the dungeon.

It was dangerous living as the monsters there were very hostile, and almost none were safe to eat. There was also the Dracula monster, which appeared every so often to plague the mages. Many had died, but many had lived, and quite a few were born as well.

That was essentially how the mages in Geffen lived, despite the cruelties of their living conditions.

Right now, it has been a week since all this had happened and many of the castle's staff and the mages from Geffen and the four of us are now working to repair Geffen to its former glory. Much of the city is being rebuilt from memory and it is a collaborative effort to rebuild Geffen.

However, there is some troubling news; apparently, the orcs that live near the area had claimed the ruins of the city, so I fear for all of us right now if the orcs decide to attack.


	7. Reconciliation

**Author's note**: So, sorry for not updating. I forgot to submit this. I need to write more, too, derp.

Noctus stood before the familiar, yet unfamiliar, house that was made in the same style as all the other houses in Payon. Standing before the house brought back memories, some more pleasant than others; of practicing archery; of accidentally shooting down a window; his parents watching and teaching him; of eating lunch outside on a cool day; of leaving his home and never coming back for nearly twenty years.

Noctus didn't want to come back, though part of him always yearned to come back. But he could never come back, not after his mother, his dear, loving mother, disowned her own son after he became a bard. Though it seemed silly to compare, Noctus sometimes thought of himself as being abandoned, just like Legna, except for the fact that while the sorcerer had no attachment to his parents, the maestro had a great attachment to his own parents and to lose them both was too much to bear.

Maybe, just maybe, that was the main reason for one type of argument the sorcerer and maestro got into sometimes. This reason had caused the two to separate themselves again for awhile, a day before a festival the two were going to attend together in Geffen. What happened was that Noctus was making a few jokes about this touchy subject of abandonment that caused Legna to go into a rage and yell at Noctus for his insensitivity. The sorcerer and maestro argued for at least an hour before Legna finally locked himself in his room and wouldn't come out, not even when Noctus had begged and pleaded for forgiveness.

It was after that when Noctus decided he would try to resolve his own feelings about this, and hopefully find some atonement. Maybe then the couple could argue about one less thing.

Noctus felt a mixture of dread, hope and fear. He was shaking slightly, though he tried his best to stop it. The maestro glanced up at the house, taking in the sight; pale olive walls, an off-white porch and roof, darkened windows with white drapes. . .

The porch groaned slightly as Noctus stepped on it to reach the door. The maestro hesitated slightly before he knocked and tried his best to compose himself.

It felt like hours when the click of a lock was heard and the door opened to reveal a woman in her early 50s. She wore the traditional ranger outfit, minus the forest green scarf. Her silvery blonde hair was tied back in a simple ponytail that reached down to her mid-back and the woman had a few wrinkles on her face to show her old age.

"Hello there, young bard," the woman greeted. "What is your name? I am Aurora."

Right now, Noctus was trying his best not to lose his cool.

He bowed in front of Aurura as he said, "Hello, miss. My name is Noctus." Noctus barely kept his voice from quivering.

"Noctus?" There was a hint of wistfulness in his mother's voice. "I had a son by the name of Noctus."

Standing up straight again, said son asked, feigning ignorance, "'Had'? What exactly happened to him?"

"Oh, he died in the Great Geffen Fire," Aurora answered sadly. "The news was given to me a week after the incident. That Fire was a terrible thing to happen, claiming so many lives including that of my son's."

His mother believed he was dead, even though he was very well alive. Noctus didn't know who told her such a thing, but for some reason, he just couldn't tell her that he was alive all this time, for nearly twenty years.

"I offer you my condolences," Noctus said softly.

"Thank you," Aurora said, then offered, "Would you like to come in for a bit?"

Noctus glanced back a bit before answering, "If you would allow me."

His mother nodded slightly before she walked back into the house, beckoning to the maestro to come in, so he followed.

Seeing the inside of the small house brought back memories. Noctus remembered the worn leather couch that he used to climb upon to listen to stories by his father. He remembered the coffee table that he would eat snacks and drink tea that his mother made just for her son. He remembered the old posters and newspaper clippings on the far wall that held achievements and notable stories by various archers, hunters, snipers and rangers that he looked up to. He remembered the old rocking chair his mother would sometimes sit in where she would string bows and make arrows of all sorts from fire to crystal to holy to poison. He remembered the lessons his parents would give about the carefully handling of such arrows lest he hurt himself.

Then there was the kitchen where his mother would cook all sorts of baked delicacies from pastries to cakes to rolls, and where she would also brew tea from the various plants found in and around Payon, and she would always make the tea sweet just for her son.

From the kitchen, Noctus's mother came out carrying a tray of fresh, hot biscuits, a kettle of tea, and two white teacups.

"Please sit down," Aurora said as she placed the tray on the table, the teacups clinking lightly.

"Thank you," Noctus murmured. He remembered how his mother would carefully pick up the kettle with her right hand, always her right hand as she supported that arm with her left arm. Then she would pour the tea with a soft grace that Noctus always liked to see. That was how she poured tea, and that was how she poured it now.

The teacup was light as Noctus picked it up. The tea tasted sweet and fruity with no hint of bitterness, just like how his mother always made it just for him. Noctus tried not to cry at the memory.

The mother and son sipped their tea in silence as an old warg watched from its corner. It was most likely the first warg that his mother had probably tamed when she became a ranger. The first thing one usually does upon becoming a ranger was tame a warg, a faithful companion that would accompany the ranger for life. This one showed signs of old age with its graying fur and listlessness, though the warg still appeared to be strong and full of energy.

As Aurora put down her teacup, she said with a sigh, "I always did love the music bards made. From a master bard, it was like listening to wonderful music that no human could possibly make. But I never thought my son was fit for playing music, so I was upset when he became a bard. I thought he was throwing his life away for something he could not do. Maybe I was too harsh on him, but one cannot change the past."

"Maybe, but one can never tell what someone is capable of unless they are given a chance," Noctus said thoughtfully, keeping the emotion out of his voice.

"Perhaps, but I just wish I could have heard my son sing for me," Aurora responded, "just once, just so I could hear if he was fit to make music." She sighed again. "But I have lost that chance. But, young bard, would you be willing to play a song for me?"

"Of course, Aurura," Noctus said. His mother would never know that her son was sitting right there with her, the one to play a song just for her and fulfill her wish on his favorite black guitar that had lost its strings more than once.

The music was filled with an emotion that one could feel, a song of lost hope and found hope, of abandonment and atonement, of sadness and happiness. It entranced both human and animal easily, typical for a master musician, one who has practiced for many years.

When the song was finally over, when Noctus put his guitar away, there were tears in his eyes that he hastily wiped away. He hoped that his mother hadn't seen them. Then he noticed the tears that dotted Aurora's cheeks. Her eyes were still closed, as if still hearing a silent melody.

"Thank you," Aurora whispered as she opened her eyes.

"Thank you as well, Miss Aurora," Noctus replied as he got up. "I wish you a peaceful life."

Aurora simply nodded and closed her eyes again as Noctus left the house.

The maestro walked for awhile, away from his childhood house, away from Payon, and into the forest before he finally broke down and cried. Noctus didn't know if this would help his relationship any, though he felt it helped him emotionally.

It took a few minutes before Noctus finally composed himself.

"I need to get going," he said to no one in particular before he began to start his long walk to Geffen.


End file.
